The countdown to the start of the Olympic Games is on, and so is the anticipation for the 9 top athletes from Luiss Guido Carli. They will fly to Japan, proud to represent not only their country but also their university at the world’s premier sporting event.

The Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali is, in fact, the only university (and one of the few in Europe) to have its students on the Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Starting on July 23, Team Luiss will bring the speed of sprinter Filippo Tortu to the track and the determination of high diver Gianmarco Tamberi to the diving board. Both are students in the Bachelor of Science in Economics and Management program, as is Giorgio Avola, who will honor the Italian flag in fencing alongside Luca Curatoli, a Law student, and Davide Di Veroli, enrolled in Economics and Management, who will start as a sparring partner and potential reserve.

Letizia Paternoster, a student in the Bachelor of Science in Political Science program, will represent Italy in track cycling, while Federica Cesarini, newly enrolled in the first year of the Master of Science in Government, Administration, and Politics program, will compete in rowing, as will Vincenzo Abbagnale, a student in the Master of Science in Marketing program, who will start as a reserve.

Then it will be the turn of shot putter Donato Telesca, who will compete in the Paralympic Games starting August 24. Donato, 22, who just graduated with a degree in Economics and Management two weeks ago, set the European record at the World Cup in Dubai.

The Magnifici 9 are part of the larger Luiss team, which includes 47 athletes of national and international caliber (including national team and Atalanta midfielder Matteo Pessina) who are part of the “Luiss Sport Academy – Dual Career” project. The program, launched in 2015, allows young athletes to balance their studies with sports.

The “dual career” is just one of the many opportunities offered by the Associazione Sportiva Luiss (AS Luiss), chaired by Luigi Abete . Since its founding in 1998, AS Luiss has awarded 350 scholarships for athletic achievement.

Starting with the university’s basketball team, which is now in Serie B, the association has over the years added disciplines like track and field, soccer, rowing, rugby, tennis, windsurfing, triathlon, swimming, golf, equestrian sports, cycling, and skiing. To date, AS Luiss boasts 18 teams across 14 sports, and through the Luiss Sport per Tutti project, it reaches out to the entire student community (with over 1,600 students already participating).

Between the two exam sessions, Luiss will be cheering for its Magnifici 9, hoping they bring home not only good grades but also an Olympic medal.